Sara S
04-20-2011, 08:37 AM
It's all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, but it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps. -Martin Luther King, Jr., civil-rights leader (1929-1968)
podfish
04-21-2011, 10:27 AM
It's all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, but it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps. -Martin Luther King, Jr., civil-rights leader (1929-1968) pet-peeve rant time. Doesn't anyone else see the irony behind this whole idea?? It's of course literally impossible to lift yourself by the bootstraps. So I think it's really a way to point out that you're helpless - if you're told that the only way up is to "lift yourself by your bootstraps" it's similar to your being told when you're hungry, "fly to the moon and grab some green cheese".
I think it was original intended to be dismissive, rather than inspirational.
just don't get me started on "inflammable" on trucks.......